SAP: Must or may 2018 new aid officer workshop Danchees Ingram Financial Aid Specialist Tarrant County College danchees.ingram@tccd.edu

What you will learn Definition of SAP Legislation behind SAP What must be and what may be included in your Policies and Procedures Determining SAP SAP Terms

What & Why To be eligible for FSA funds, a student must make Satisfactory Academic Progress, and your school must have a reasonable policy for monitoring that progress The Department considers a satisfactory academic progress policy to be reasonable if it meets both the Qualitative and Quantitative criteria explained in this section.

SAP Must… …be published and include reasonable qualitative and quantitative standards …explain how GPA and pace of completion are affected by course incompletes, withdrawals, and repeats, as well as transfer credits …be at least as strict as your SAP policy for students not receiving FSA funds Boeing 737, First flight: April 9, 1967

MORE SAP Must… …apply to all students (different SAP policies may apply to different programs) …require evaluation at the end of each payment period for program one year or less; annual evaluations required for program greater than a year …must notify and describe status that affects eligibility for FSA funds …must explain how to regain eligibility Boeing 737, First flight: April 9, 1967

Qualitative Standard Grade based (most commonly GPA) Must achieve standard at the end of each period In addition, HEA requires a specific review at the end of the 2nd academic year ATM : “The world's first ATM debuted at Barclay's Bank in London on June 27, 1967”

Qualitative Standard Programs greater than 2 academic years at least a “C” or its equivalent, or Must have a academic standing consistent with your school’s graduation requirements ATM : “The world's first ATM debuted at Barclay's Bank in London on June 27, 1967”

Quantitative Standard Time-related May use graduated completion percentages May include, but not required to include, remedial courses Total Cumulative Hours Completed Total Cumulative Hours Attempted

Quantitative Standard Ensure program completion within the maximum timeframe A Student is ineligible when it become mathematically impossible to complete the program within maximum timeframe Appealable What is your school’s minimum completion rate? Is it the same for all students?

Let’s Calculate BA requires 120 credits for graduation Maximum Time Frame = 150% X 120 = 180 credits Pace calculation : 120/180 = 67% (also 100/150 = 67%) Student earning 67% of credits attempted is on pace to complete the program within the maximum time frame. Applicable at any enrollment status

Change of Major & Transfer Credits Generally, all periods of enrollment count Even when not receiving FSA funds May exclude courses not part of new major May limit # of times student changes major Must count transfer credits for current program May count transfer grades Establish rules for those who want new degrees

Repeat, Drop, Incomplete, Remedial & ESL Courses Explain course repeats including which grade will count. Quantitative standard includes all repeated courses Policy must explain remedial, incomplete grades, and ESL course work Cannot exclude course work from the Summer term or mini-terms

When Do You Check SAP No longer than one academic year or the length of the program, whichever is less Increments generally coincide with payment periods New/conflicting information is received FAFSA on the Web has a threshold question that will cause the asset questions to be skipped when the student seems eligible for the simplified formula or an automatic zero EFC. But in some instances, such as when using a paper FAFSA, a student who qualifies for the simplified formula will provide asset information. In those cases the CPS will calculate two EFCs: one using the assets and one excluding them. The EFC from the simplified formula (which excludes assets) is called the primary EFC and is printed on the front of the student’s SAR, while the EFC from the full calculation is called the secondary EFC and is printed in the FAA Information section.

Regaining SAP Eligibility Policy must explain how to regain eligibility Placing them on probation Submitting an appeal Using non-FSA until all standard are met Sitting out a term doesn’t regain eligibility Probation nor Appeals are required (may) Paying for one term doesn’t automatically regain eligibility

Probation/Warning Status Policy explains circumstance and procedures Continue to receive FSA funding Must regain eligibility by the end of the payment period Cannot allow over two consecutive periods LUNAR ORBITER 3 Launched: February 5, 1967 A person need not have received the benefit for an entire year; receiving it at any time in the base or prior year qualifies. Also, an FAA may use professional judgment (PJ) to count a benefit if a person did not receive it during those 24 months but is receiving it now.

Appeal Policy Appeal - A process by which a student who is not meeting SAP petitions for reconsideration. May have an appeal policy for mitigating circumstances, but not required Appeal must explain mitigating circumstances and what has changed to ensure compliance going forward. Approved appeals receive FSA funding Must regain eligibility by your policy standards

Appeal Policy (cont.) May have an appeal procedure How the student may re-establish T4 eligibility Basis for filing an appeal Petition must include why the student failed to meet SAP, what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP at the next review. See IRS Publication 17 page 7: 1040 – must use if there is income that cannot be reported on a 1040A or 1040 EZ – i.e. alimony, business/farm, capital gain or loss/rental property; itemized deduction on Schedule A A foreign tax return counts as an IRS Form 1040, while a tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or the Virgin Islands counts as a Form 1040A or 1040EZ.

Evaluation Frequency Warning at 1st violation* FSA funds eligible Ineligible at 2nd violation FSA funds suspended If appeal process offered & approved, FSA funds are reinstated Probation: if can met SAP by the end of next period Academic plan: if more than one period is need to met SAP If no appeal process or declined, meet SAP using non-FSA funds *May be ineligible if warning not offered Ineligible at 1st violation FSA funds suspended If appeal process offered & approved, FSA funds are reinstated Probation: if can met SAP by the end of next period Academic plan: if more than one period is need to met SAP If no appeal process or declined, meet SAP using non-FSA funds Warning period not available

Academic Plan School and the student must define the steps needed to meet SAP standards by a specified time Can also take the student to successful program completion Review of progress at each SAP evaluation period Must specify timeframe by which SAP standards must be met Must appeal to change plan Must explain what happened to make the change necessary and how they will be able to make SAP

Terms Parent Information Student Information Appeal – A process by which a student who is not meeting SAP petitions for reconsideration FA probation – A status assigned to a student failing SAP and successfully appeals. Eligibility may be reinstated for one payment period. FA warning – A status assigned to a student failing SAP. Eligibility may be reinstated for one payment period without an appeal. May only be used by schools that evaluate at the end of each period.

Terms (cont.) Maximum timeframe Undergraduate program (credit hours), cannot exceed 150% of published length of program Undergraduate program (clock hours), cannot exceed 150% of published length of program, measured by cumulative # of clock hours required to complete Graduate program, school defines based on the length of the program You may be asking yourself, “Why learn to do this”? The FAFSA does this for us.

Discussion Questions Is the school required to have an appeal process? Is an institution required to use the same SAP policy for all students? Qualitative & quantitative standards must always be applied how? What is included in the Academic Plan? Can a school limit the # of appeals?

Resources Federal Register 668.34 (c); (d); (a) (3-7), (b) Federal Student Aid Handbook www.ifap.ed.gov Volume 1- student eligibility, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), pages 1-9 through 1-13 Volume 5- Withdrawals and the Return of Title IV Funds Program Integrity Final Rules Industry Webinars

Financial Aid Specialist Tarrant County College Thank you! Contact Information Danchees Ingram Financial Aid Specialist Tarrant County College danchees.ingram@tccd.edu